Late fall/early winter is a great time to look for animal signs. The leaves are down and the vegetation sparse, making seeing these signs so much easier. How many of these do you recognise? The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter. Click here for a printable version: http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/Listservnewsletter/November_2017/printable_quiz_animal_signs_Nov_2017.pdf

Thank you to all of the student volunteers from the SERUG group and our Director Shelley Hunt's Environmental Sciences class who came out last Friday to help with trail maintenance at the Arboretum! They helped spread woodchips on the Memorial Forest Trail and the Trillium Trail, and chipped away at some Buckthorn removal. A great team effort!

The Arboretum has purchased a new label maker. This investment will help staff be more capable and efficient with making labels for the Arboretum grounds. The staff are busy learning how to use it and setting up templates.

Grounds staff have been busy preparing for the winter months ahead. They have spent time preparing ponds for winter, moving plants into the nursery, putting rabbit and vole repellent around new plantings in the gardens and collections and collecting and processing seeds.

Seeds that have been gathered from the Gene Bank are being processed and sent to the National Tree Seed Centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick for long term seed conservation storage.

Arboretum volunteer seed groups have also began again. They spend time each week cleaning seeds for winter plantings in the greenhouse.

Our Naturalist / Education staff have been busy with various groups who have come for programs and tours as well as their many day to day activities.

We now have cling window decals of The Arboretum logo available for $3 each and will have 2018 Arboretum desktop calendars available within the next week or so. The calendars feature a different photo taken on The Arboretum grounds in our collections on each month of the calendar. Both of these items can be purchased in The Arboretum Centre. Details of all of our merchandise and publications are below in the newsletter.

It is a great time of the year to go for a walk. We hope to see you out enjoying the grounds!

by Tess Sprawson, Horticultural Intern

This is a story about how, to my utmost surprise, I found myself willingly volunteering to sort through elephant dung... feces… scat, or otherwise more commonly known as, poo. Yes, you read that correctly. Trust me, this came as a surprise to me too. Allow me to elaborate…

The story begins with the Gymnocladus dioicus. A tree commonly known as the Kentucky Coffeetree. The coffeetree is a very special species when considering its unique characteristics. Its doubly compound leaves are considered the largest leaf of any native tree to Ontario, while the seeds of the tree can be roasted into a coffee-like brew. The species ranges as far north as southern Ontario, and as far south as Kentucky.

Sadly, within its large geographic range it is rare due to urban sprawl and natural habitat destruction. In addition to this, the reproductive rate of the species is handicapped by its very limited and particular seed dispersal requirements. The seed pods are located at the uppermost section of the tree, making them difficult for small mammals to obtain. They are also unappealing to small mammals as they are large and leathery, and have toxic seeds. Furthermore, the Kentucky Coffeetree seed does not only struggle to disperse its seed but also requires a certain degree of scarification (softening of the seed coat) to its outer coating in order to successfully germinate. The only successful natural dispersal for the seed is by way of moving water systems. Due to these restrictions, the germination process of the seed has largely been handled by humans. This all makes you wonder, why did this species adapt with such restrictions to its germination process? The hypothesized answer is that it may have adapted to appeal to the large prehistoric mammals that once roamed the Americas.

 

It is theorized that the Kentucky Coffeetree once relied on the pre-historic mastodon species to eat and disseminate its seeds. The mastodon existed during the late Pliocene period and went extinct by the end of the Pleistocene period, about 10,000 to 11,000 years ago. The Kentucky Coffeetree would rely on the mastodon to consume the pod and swallow the seeds whole. This process would allow for the toxic seed to pass through the mammal without the mammal being affected by the poisonous content. The seeds would move through the digestive system of the mastodon, allowing them to undergo a natural scarification process. It would then be excreted ready to germinate in a convenient pile of fertilizer.

The mastodon extinction has restricted germination for the Kentucky Coffeetree, however the large mammal does have a distant relative which still exists today, the elephant. A theory has been posed at The Arboretum to attempt to mimic the germination process of the mastodon on that of an elephant. The study will be conducted at the African Lion Safari in Cambridge, Ontario over the next few months.



This research sounded so wonderful that I felt I just had to take part. So when the question was raised of who would take that crazy plunge and sort the scat, I couldn’t help but raise my hand. Who could resist such an offer?

A printable version of this article is available at: http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/Listservnewsletter/November_2017/Kentucky_Coffee_Tree_Tess.pdf

Jason Chan

Some get cozy under warm fleece blankets, some have already started listening to Christmas music, and almost everyone is walking around with a warm beverage in hand. With the sudden blast of cold we’ve been getting the past couple of weeks, one thing is for sure, winter is coming. And although the birds and the trees aren’t putting on wool socks, they are preparing for winter in their own respective ways. The trees are losing their leaves and beginning to entering dormancy, our neighbourhood geese have started flying south, groundhogs are already in a deep slumber and the local chickadees are building up their seed stores. It is amazing to see the complex and unique adaptations organisms have to endure or escape the cold, ice and snow.

The Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) is one of the few amphibians that can live in northern climates (as far up as Alaska!) and has a unique way of surviving the winter. They find a sheltered spot under leaf litter and freeze solid as the temperatures drop below zero before thawing out in the spring and hopping into the next season of life. Some have been observed surviving in temperatures under -18C! But how?

This unique ability that comes from an organism measuring only 2-3 inches has sparked the curiosity of many scientists. Studies have found that there are two main components that allow the Wood Frog to survive as a block of ice (well technically, they are only 60% frozen). The sugar glucose comes from breaking down glycogen in the liver, and the chemical compound urea is obtained through the breakdown of muscle protein. Both of these compounds have many roles in the frog’s physiology, but in the wintertime they work together, lowering the freezing point of fluids in the body and acting as cryoprotectants preventing the formation of ice in body tissues. The increases in urea and glucose help maintain the equilibrium in the cells surrounding the vital organs, which in turn prevents cell dehydration and damage and thus keeps them alive. As spring comes and temperatures warm up, they thaw out and dispose of the extra glucose and urea.

Furthermore, this freezing and thawing phenomenon has scientists hypothesizing on how this may be advantageous when it comes to eliminating any potential parasites to enhance longevity and the overall health of the frog. Also, there are human implications, as science is looking into how this adaptation can be applied to human health and medicine in terms of preserving organs for transplant. Neat!

Similarly, many insects that live in colder climates also have adaptations that allow them to be freeze tolerant or avoid freezing altogether. The Woolly Bear Caterpillar, known as the Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) is a common sight this time of year (see inserted image). They are one of the few butterflies/moths that overwinter in the larval form. In such cold conditions, ice begins to form when water molecules start building around nucleating agents (such as food or dust particles). They escape freezing altogether through supercooling, the means by which nucleating agents are intentionally removed and excreted to prevent ice formation and freezing.

From a naturalist’s standpoint, I know I am guilty of comparing the local flora and fauna to the more charismatic ones in warmer and more tropical climates thinking that we got the short end of the stick. But when I consider the incredibly complex and unique adaptations certain organisms here have to survive the climate we live in, it leaves me completely awestruck. Even the often overlooked Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) that is cold-blooded like the Wood Frog, has adapted to the cold climate by being viviparous which means they give birth to live young, increasing each offspring’s chance of survival since cold temperatures can result in mortality or slow embryonic development. Isn’t that just amazing? #WinterIsComing. The animals are ready - are you?

A printable version of this article is available here: http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/Listservnewsletter/November_2017/WinterIsComing_Article.pdf

References

Costanzo, J. P., do Amaral, M. C. F., Rosendale, A. J., and Lee, R. E. (2013). Hibernation
physiology, freezing adaptation and extreme freeze tolerance in a northern population of
the wood frog. J Exp Biol. 216(Pt 18):3461-73. doi: 10.1242/jeb.089342.

Costanzo, J. P., Reynolds, A. M., do Amaral, M. C. F., Rosendale, A. J., & Lee, R. E. (2015).
Cryoprotectants and Extreme Freeze Tolerance in a Subarctic Population of the Wood
Frog. PLoS ONE, 10(2), e0117234. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0117234

Layne, J.R., Edgar, C.L., Medwith, R.E. (1999). Cold hardiness of the Woolly Bear Caterpillar
(Pyrrharctia isabella Lepidoptera: Arctiidae).Am. Midl. Nat, 141(2):293-304
https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031(1999)141[0293:CHOTWB]2.0.CO;2

http://www.bcreptiles.ca/reptiles_north.htm

https://www.dogonews.com/2015/3/19/tiny-wood-frogs-survive-winter-by-partially-freezing-their-bodies

http://infinitespider.com/the-woolly-bear-caterpillar-in-winter/

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-alaskan-frozen-frogs-20140723-story.html

Looking for a great gift for the nature lover in your life? We have a series of 5 booklets: Feeder Birds, Wildflowers, Mammals, Dragonflies and Summer Garden Birds which would be a perfect choice for a gift. Each booklet is full colour and is $8. Details can be found on our website.

We also have a nature journal with a series of colour photos in the centre pages and lots of unique pages with leaf backgrounds for sketching or journaling. Each journal is $10.

Our biodiversity sheets are $5 each or $50 for the set of 12. Check out the new ones that just came out a couple months ago... they must be purchased as individuals as they are not part of the set of 12. Each double-sided, laminated placemat features a different topic in nature.

For the first time we have published a desktop calendar featuring an Arboretum grounds photo for each month. We have limited quantity so you should purchase early.

Gift certificates are also available for our workshops. Owl Prowls make a fabulous family outing; or check out our other workshops.

Our pin-on buttons for $1 each and our cling window decals of the Arboretum logo for $3 can top up the stocking nicely.

To purchase these booklets, journals, placemats, calednars, buttons, window decals or gift certificates please call ext. 52358 or e-mail us at [log in to unmask]. We would be happy to mail these out to you (a mailing fee will apply). An order form is attached to the image below should you wish to fill it out and scan a copy to us.

Christmas is quickly approaching. If you haven't already booked your Christmas party then please consider The Arboretum. It is the perfect location for your Christmas event. We can accommodate up to 130 people for lunches or dinners with a view of the picturesque Arboretum grounds. For further information please contact Dawn Ann Webster, Bookings Co-ordinator at extension 54110, [log in to unmask] or check out our website. All catering is provided by Hospitality Services, University of Guelph. For further information on the catering please call extension 53350 or e-mail [log in to unmask].

Join Jason every Wednesday until the end of the year at 12:15 as he explores the grounds on a 50 minute hike. It is a wonderful way to explore the change of the season as we move from the fall season into the winter season on The Arboretum grounds. The walk is free and you should meet at the kiosk at the end of the promenade closest to campus if you are interested in participating. Jason's last walk and the last walk of 2017 will be on December 20. Walks will resume on January 3 with Rachel leading them in the new year.

The Gull, Owl and Animal Tracking workshops are approaching. The dates and registration deadlines can be found in our Coming Events listing in the column on the left side of this newsletter. A detailed description of each course is available on our website. Help us promote our programs… please forward this e-mail on to your friends and colleagues who may be interested. The more participants we have, the more programs we can offer.

Registering early is important for us because we need lead time to decide if there are enough people registered to run the workshop or not. To encourage registering before the deadline, we have an Early Bird Fee. You can still register after the deadline, but it will cost an extra $10, so why not register early?

Registration is available on-line, which allows you to register for our programs at anytime, not just during our regular business hours. A secure link is provided on our website for this easy registration process.

If you do not have internet access, registration can still be made by phone or in person at 519-824-4120 ext. 52358 as in the past. Please remember that a decision is made on the registration deadline as to whether the workshop will run or not, based on the minimum number of required registrants. You may still register after the deadline as long as the workshop is running and there is space.

As an assignment related to our quiz this month, I had The Arboretum docent group look for signs of wildlife at our recent meeting - and they found lots! These included red squirrel feeding sites, goldenrod ball galls, woodpecker feeding holes and squirrel nests. Other sightings in the last month: a camouflaged Gray Tree Frog, a Pileated Woodpecker in Wild Goose Woods, flocks of migrating American Robins, Bluet and Honey Mushrooms, two raccoons sleeping in a tree cavity in Victoria Woods and our cotton candy-scented Katsura Trees. Some of our winter residents have now returned including a large number of Dark-eyed Juncos.

 
Gray Tree Frog                                 Dark-eyed Junco
photo by Chris Earley                        photo by Kelly Balkom

                             
                              goldenrod ball gall
                              photo by Chris Earley

Be a part of the BetterPlanet Project by donating on-line:

Your donation can be directed to The Arboretum online through the secure University of Guelph donation page: http://uofg.convio.net/arboretum

If you prefer not to make an online donation, there are several other ways to provide your financial support. You can choose to donate by telephone, mail, fax, or in person:

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Attention Alumni Affairs 50 Stone Road East Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: 1-888-266-3108 ext. 56934 Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56934 Fax: 519-822-2670 Email: [log in to unmask]

If you would like information on bequests and planned giving to The Arboretum please contact:

Amy Atkinson
Senior Development Manager, Ontario Agricultural College
at (519) 824-4120 ext. 58652 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]